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Do Epson inkjet printers consider themselves "out of ink" after a predefined number of pages, or after the ink actually runs outs (or comes close)?
Some people claim it's a predetermined number of pages. Thus if your pages just have a little text on them, the printer will claim it is out of ink, even when the ink cartridge is still fairly full.
Other people claim it's determined strictly by the amount of ink used during printing, thus the cartridge will be always be close to empty when the printer claims it needs to be replaced.
Which is it?
Update 1: Epson Ink Cartridges 124 and 126, which work in models such as the Epson NX-430 Printer.
Update 2: Possible relevant information: http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/jsp/dlp/dynamicLanding.do?dlpId=n_1101_ink-yield-disclaimer
RockPaperLizard
Posted 2015-05-10T06:37:35.950
Reputation: 5 415
You may want to add the model and the cartridge IDs. the mechanism has changed over time and may vary between models. – fixer1234 – 2015-05-10T06:56:05.590
@fixer1234 Thanks. Epson Ink Cartridges 124 and 126, which work in models such as the Epson NX-430 inkjet printer. – RockPaperLizard – 2015-05-10T07:32:19.797
More often than not its the former. I haven't seen a printer that actually checks its ink levels in ages. – Journeyman Geek – 2015-05-10T07:48:56.283
@JourneymanGeek I honestly don't know. This page: http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/jsp/dlp/dynamicLanding.do?dlpId=n_1101_ink-yield-disclaimer implies the opposite.
– RockPaperLizard – 2015-05-10T08:26:25.220Page yields are just a standardized basis for comparing different printers to get a rough idea of relative ink mileage. They have nothing to do with real-time assessment of the remaining ink. I don't know about Epson cartridges, specifically, but ones that contain just a tank or a tank area plus a sponge area often have an optical sensor the differentiates when the tank is empty. That doesn't work well if the entire cartridge contains a sponge. Cartridges with a chip often count characters or some other measure of ink used. Prior to chips, they sensed when the printhead or feed tube went dry. – fixer1234 – 2015-05-10T17:45:57.487
1From what I can tell, it's based on ink use, not page count. The cartridges track the amount of ink used and declare themselves empty when they are in fact empty, at least on my WorkForce WF-3540 and 127 cartridges. There may be some ink left in the cartridge when the printer prompts for replacement, but it's not much in my experience. – bwDraco – 2015-05-11T06:24:52.217
@fixer1234: "ones that contain just a tank or a tank area plus a sponge area often have an optical sensor the differentiates when the tank is empty": One of my old Canon printers did this, and you could easily tell how much ink was left by examining the cartridge. – bwDraco – 2015-05-11T06:44:55.453